Top for silos.



E. F. SOHLICHTER.

TOP FOR SILOS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 15, 1911. 1,008,735. PatentedNov. 14, 1911;

2 BHEETS-SHEET l.

I. VL.

E. F. SGHLIOHTER.

TOP FOR SILOS.

' APPLICATION FILED MAR.15, 1911. 1,008,735. Patented Nov. 14, 1911.

' 20 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES casting for the supporting frame.

,tion for a top section.

a nice TOP FOR SILOS.

Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented Nov. to,

application filed. March 15, 1911. Serial no. 611L550.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, Enos F. Scnmcnrnn, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a. new and useful Top for Silos, of which the following a sueciiication;

My invention consists of an improvement upon the silo top for which Letters Patent, No. 669767, were granted to me on March 12, 1901. I

It further consists of improved means for openii'ig and closing the sections.

It further consists of improved means for bracing the sections and their operating means.

It further consists of other novel features of construction, all as will be hereinafter fully set forth. v

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, I have shown in the accompanying drawings one form thereof w iich is at present preferred by me, since the same has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood thatthe various instrumentalities of which my invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of these instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

In said drawings igure 1 represents an elevation for the upper portion of a silo embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a vertical section of such upper portion, showing the top sectionsopened. "Fig. 3 represents a vertical section of the upper end Fig. 4 represents an inside view of one of the top sections. Fig. 5 represents a transverse section of such top section. Fig. 6, represents a sectional detail view'of the hinge connec Fig. 1 represents a sectiol'ial detail view of the connection be" two-on the braces and. the supporting frame. Fig. represents a sectional detail View of a brac tet and the lower end of a brace of the supporting 1 corresponding parts in the figures.

Referring to the drawings :the silo tank or body 1 is of the usual, or of any desired or approved construction, having hoops, 2, and doors, 3, between vertical jambs, 4 connected by crossbai's, Sections, (3, sub stautially in the form of an isosceles triangle, are hinged at the top edge of the silo, and consists each of two legs, 7, having their upper ends connected to a triangular block, 8, and a cross-brace, 9, near the lower ends of the legs. A covering, 10, preferably of sheet metal, is secured upon this. triangular frame, and one side of such covering projects beyond the side of the-frame to form a flange, 11, to overlap the edge of the adjoining section when the sections are folded or closed. Triangular flexible sections, 12, of canvas or other material, are secured to the legs of'the sectionfran1es to close the spaces between the sections, when the latter are opened or unfolded. 'Brackets, 13, are secured upon the sides of the silo tank, and have rods, 14, projectingobliquely upward. The lower ends of tubular and angularly bent braces, 15, are secured upon said rods by means of set-screws, 16, and the upper converging ends of said braces are secured by set-screws, 17, upon rods, 18, forming the legs of a spider, l9, havin a housing,20, in which a sheave, 21, is ournaled. The spider has a central opening, 22, into which the upper end ofa hollow rod or tube, 23, is secured. An outer sleeve 24:, slides upon said tube and has a truncate conical cap, 245, secured upon its upper end. A truncate conical disk, 25, is adjustably, secured by set-screws, 26, upon the lower end of the outer sleeve, and has pairs of ears, 27, upon its upper face, between which cars stretcliers, 28, are pivoted, the outer ends of which stretchers are pivoted between ears, 29, secured upon the inner sides of the top-sections and to the triangular frame blocks 8 of the same. A. rope, 30, cord or chain, is attached to the cap, 24:, passes upward and over the sheave on the spav r, thence Similar numerals of reference, indicate passes down through the opening in the spider and through the inner tube, down to any desired point in the silo. The hinges for the top sections of the silo are formed by.

threaded eye-bolts, 31, which are passed through the sides of the silo tank and have nuts, 32, upon opposite sides of the wall of the silo, and the eyes of said bolts are pivoted. upon pintles, 33, passing through ears, 34, secured near the lower ends of the legs of the triangular section frames.

When the silo is to be filled, the out fodder is packed into it in the usual manner and packed to the upper end of the opened top. As fermentation of the ensilage takes place, the latter gradually shrinks and set tles, and the top-sections close as the ensilage settles, until the sections close down to have their upper .ends resting upon the conical cap and form a substantially conical top. One top section has a door, 35, through which the cut fodder may be fed, and through which the ensilage may be removed. The cord or rope serves as a means whereby the top sections may be opened. The outer sleeve with its cap and disk acts as a runner to spread or fold the stretchers, opening or closing the, sections as the runner is raised or lowered by the rope or cord. By having the eye-bolts upon which the top-sections are hinged, adjustable by means of the nuts bearing against opposite faces of the wall of the silo tank, the sections may be adjusted to all close together at the proper pitch, and make tight closures at their adjoining edges.

.By securing the disk 25 upon the runnersleeve by means of the setscrews, said disk may be adjusted upon the sleeve so as to bring the pivoted ends of the stretchers in proper relative positions to allow proper opening and closing of the top-sections.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a silo, a tank, top-sections of substantially the shape of an isosceles triangle and hinged near their bases to the upper end of such tank to close together, a supporting frame extending from the upper portion of the tank, a rod depending from 'suchframe axially into the top of the silo tank, a runner guided upon said rod, stretchers pivoted to said runner and to the hinged sections, a sheave at the upper end of the.

rod, and a rope attached to the runner and carried around the sheave.

2. In a silo, a tank, triangular top-sections hinged near their bases to the upper end of said tank to close together, a supporting frame extending from the upper portion of the tank, a rod depending from the top of said frame axially into the silo tank, a runner consisting of a'sleeve sliding upon the rod and a conical cap at the upper end of said sleeve adapted to have the free ends of the top-sections rest upon it, stretchers pivoted to said runner and to the top-sections, and means for sliding the runner.

3. In a silo, a tank, sections hinged to the upper end of said tank to close together to form a top, asupporting frame extending upwardly from the upper portion of the tank, a rod depending from said frame axially into the silo tank, a runner-sleeve upon said rod, a disk adj ustably secured upon said sleeve, stretchers pivoted to said disk and to the top sections, and means for sliding the runner sleeve.

4. In a silo, a tank, top sections adapted to be hinged to the upper end of said tank to close together to form a top, hinges for said sections and secured to the tank, and means for adjusting said hinges to bring their pintles closer to or farther from the outer side of the tank.

5. In a silo, a tank, top-sections of substantially triangular outlineand-provided with pairs of ears upon their inner sides and near their lower edges, screw threaded eyebolts and pintles for pivoting their eyes between said pairs of ears, said eye-bolts passing through the wall of the tank, and nuts upon said bolts and bearing upon opposite sides of the wall of the tank, whereby the hinge connections of the sections upon the -tank, a tube secured. in the apex of said frame todepend axially into the tank, a sheave j ournaled on the frame above the up per open end of the tube, a runner sliding upon said tube, stretchers pivotally connected to such runner and to the sections, and a cord secured to the runner and carried around the sheave and down through the tube.

8. In a silo, a tank, substantially triangular top-sections .hinged to the upper portion of the tank to close together to form a substantially conical top, a supporting frame composed of an-gularly bent braces secured to the wall of the silo at their lower ends, a spider having the upper ends of said braces secured to its legs and formed with a vertical opening and a housing above the same, a sheave journaled in said housing, a

tube secured tvith its upper end in the cured to the cap of the runner and carried I opening in the spider, a runner sleeve slidaround the sheave and down through the 10 jug upon said tube and lllavfing at its ugper tube.

end a conical cap upon W 1ic the ends 0 the top-sections rest when closed, a disk adjust- ENDS SCHLICHTER' ably secured upon the lower end of the Witnesses:

sleeve, stretcher-s pivotally connected to said WM. CANER WiEDERsEIM,

disk and t0 the top-sections, and a cord se- 0. D. MOVAY. 

